Leftover Spaghetti Sauce Lasagna

Made a huge crockpot full of spaghetti sauce recently? This recipe is the best way to make that leftover sauce better than ever. The promised lasagna is here.

This lasagna recipe goes hand in hand with the Crockpot Spaghetti Sauce recipe, as the best way to get rid of extra leftovers. Make sure you have at least five cups of sauce left before you get started. Pairing recipes like this not only means that you get to use up your leftovers in a more interesting way, it also makes the prep for the lasagna super easy. Just layer your lasagna, throw it in the oven and pat yourself on the back for a job well done.

This one is vegetarian instead of vegan even though the spaghetti sauce was made with tofu. The biggest reason for this? Cheese of course! The gooey melted cheese makes this recipe and helps hold all the layers together, a very important job.

The hardest part about making this recipe is remembering the order of the layers. Which, all things considered, is not a difficult task. The lasagna has three distinct layers: bottom, middle and top.

To get started, grab a 3 L ceramic, glass or porcelain casserole dish. A larger dish can be used; just be prepared to adjust the ingredient amounts. Get the cottage cheese mixture, spaghetti sauce, shredded cheese and noodles ready for assembly.

Sometimes, I give the leftover sauce a couple of seconds under a hand blender in order to thicken it up a bit; it helps with the stability of the cooked lasagna. I also suggest using fresh sheet noodles for this recipe, either homemade or from the grocery store. Using fresh noodles means no pre-soaking necessary and makes for an easy to cut finished lasagna.

Time to get down to the nitty gritty details, AKA the layers.

Bottom layer:

Spread out 1 ¾ -2 cups spaghetti sauce across the bottom of the dish, completely covering it.

Lay 2-3 sheet noodles over top of the sauce, overlapping them slightly on the sides, making sure all of the sauce is covered.

Spread out half of the cottage cheese mixture on top of the noodles, covering every inch.

Sprinkle 2 ½ tbsp grated parmesan and one cup of cheddar cheese on top.

That's it! First layer complete. The second, AKA middle layer, is the exact same.

Middle layer:

Spread the same amount of sauce on top of the cheese, covering it completely. Do this gently, try to avoid disturbing the cheese underneath.

Place the second set of sheet noodles, completely covering the sauce.

Next comes the other half of the cottage cheese mixture.

Side note: add a pinch of your favourite spice to the cottage cheese mixture. The lasagna in the photo above has garlic powder added. I’ve also enjoyed adding a pinch of nutmeg in the past. This one change will give the lasagna a subtle flavour change, changing the overall taste. Adding a pinch or two of your favorite herb or spice could really make this dish your own. Let me know what you try in the comments below!

Finish off the middle layer with another sprinkle of the same amount of parmesan and cheddar cheese.

Top layer time! This one consists of two things - a final coating of spaghetti sauce, basically whatever is left. Hopefully you can scrounge enough to cover the last cheese layer. If not just drop spoonfuls of sauce around the casserole dish, spreading it out as much as possible. Sprinkle the remaining cheddar cheese as well as all of the mozzarella on top.

Secure a slightly tented piece of aluminum foil over top of the dish. Place the lasagna in an oven, preheated to 375 °F. The lasagna cooks anywhere from 50 minutes to one hour. Remove the foil cover at the 25-30 minute mark. This will allow the cheese to bubble and brown in spots at the right time. If the cheese still hasn't browned to your liking then turn on the broil setting for a minute or two. Remove from the oven and let it sit for 15 minutes. This gives the lasagna a chance to cool down and the cheese a chance to solidify a bit, keeping the layers distinct and holding it all together. Serve and Enjoy!